Marc Lieb has taken the start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans a grand total of 11 times. He has always been drawn to the race, a passion for which was handed down by his father. "I was five years old when I first came to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was back in the day of the official Porsche 956s/962s with at the wheel Hans Stuck and Derek Bell. In the 1980s, my dad was a huge Porsche fan and so, for us, Le Mans meant a great deal. To one day participate in the race, first I became a Porsche Junior driver in 1998. I went on to the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and then the Porsche Supercup (which serves as a curtain-raiser to F1 Grand Prix, Ed.) all while staying focused on my secondary goal of becoming an engineer. So I did both things at the same time: driving and working. To compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a dream that came true for me in 2003, I have so many memories of that time. It was a real privilege for me to take part in this race."

One of the first highlights in Marc Lieb's career at Le Mans took place in 2005. "I am a fan of Le Mans, so to win the race in 2005 was just incredible! It was certainly one of the most emotional achievements, and one of the most fun as well. I shared the car with Mike Rockenfeller. The third driver (Leo Hindery, Porsche 911 GT3-RSR fielded by Alex Job Racing, Ed.) only did a stint of 45 minutes. It was extremely hot and to do Le Mans just the two of us was difficult. We were both young, going up against the more experienced official Porsche drivers, but we won. It was a really special feeling. From that moment on, I went after the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans."

The German driver repeated the same feat in 2010 by claiming the top step on the GT2 podium with Team Felbermayr-Proton's Porsche 997 GT3-RSR shared with Richard Lietz and Wolf Henzler. However, in between those two triumphs, it was not all a bed of roses for Marc Lieb at Le Mans. "I remember the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. That year was Mike Rockenfeller's accident (Audi R18 Tdi, Ed.). Then, for our team, Team Felbermayr-Proton, the #63 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR sister car driven by Horst Felbermayr, Sr. had an accident with one of the two official Corvettes (the one driven by Jan Magnusen, at the time in the lead in the LMGTE Pro class, Ed.). That was really a difficult edition for us, and for me. I also remember 2013 with vastly conflicting emotions between the profound sadness after Allan Simonsen's accident and the win for our Porsche 911 RSR in LMGTE Pro (with Romain Dumas and Richard Lietz, Ed.). It was wonderful for the marque, great for us to win, but we found it impossible to celebrate the victory."

After that third win in GT at Le Mans, Marc Lieb was offered the wheel of the Porsche 919 Hybrid. "I had always dreamed of driving an LMP1. I did everything I could to become a part of that program. I worked hard, made a lot of progress, lost weight and even changed my lifestyle. It took a good amount of time and energy, sacrifices relative to my family. When I won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016, I immediately knew it would be my last edition as a driver. I couldn't top it, I had reached my objective! Just 15 minutes from the checkered flag, we were still second, trailing the Toyota TS050 Hybrid. I was not in the car at the time, but I had already said to myself I could not drive any better than I had in that edition. In terms of pure driving skill, that was the best race of my entire career."

Indeed, Marc Lieb hung up his helmet at the end of 2016 after winning the LMP1 World Champion Drivers title in the FIA WEC. "I wanted to take some time for myself and for my family. My passion for driving is still there, but now I can pick and choose the races I want to do. I went to Bathurst not long ago, I love that place and that track." In 2017, the German driver attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an emotional moment. "It felt strange to be at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and not compete. I also went to Test Day, with both my sons. It was a wonderful moment for me, very moving (tears welling in his eyes, Ed.)."

Now, his time as a driver behind him, a new chapter begins. "Now I'm working with Porsche. The Customer Sport department and Sales department were somewhat overhauled last year, with a new director, Uwe Brettel. I am now under the purview of the marque's Customer Sport department. I am in charge of sales for the Porsche GT3-R, GT4 and Porsche RSR. We've lost a bit of ground in terms of the GT3s these last few years, so I need to improve that area. I am also working on future competition Porsches. It's very interesting and important because Customer Sport support is part of Porsche's DNA. Don't forget, Porsche's first victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans were achieved by customers. At Porsche, we have the greatest variety of racing cars made available for sale to customers. We have an enormous amout of them, so I have a lot of work to do (laughs, Ed.)."

PHOTOS: 2012 Porsche 997 GT3-RSR (retirement), 2013 Porsche 911 RSR (winner in LMGTE Pro), 2016 Porsche 919 Hybrid (winner).